Marvel Comics Publishing Official Preludes To 'Black Panther' And 'Infinity War', With Original (Canon) Content

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is more than just a blockbuster range of movies; it's supported by a wide range of shows, one-shots and official tie-in comics as well. In recent months, some of the so-called 'prelude' comics have been a little lackluster, serving merely as recaps, and recounting events we've already seen on screen. Now, excitingly, we've learned that the preludes for Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War seem a lot more promising!

Here's What We Know

Ahead of the movie, Marvel Comics will release the official Black Panther Prelude, with Will Corona Pilgrim and Annapaiola Martello at the helm. The synopsis promises something unique:

"Wakanda. The most technologically advanced nation in the world is protected by the mighty BLACK PANTHER! Before the upcoming Black Panther film, learn how T’CHALLA became the legendary hero of Wakanda in this ALL-NEW, NEVER-BEFORE-TOLD tale set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! See how the mantle was passed to the future king, in a time when Super Heroes were just emerging in the larger world."

There's a reason the teaser emphasizes the "all-new, never-before-told" content. It's because recent prelude comics have essentially been comic book adaptations of previous films. So, for example:

The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Prelude was simply a straight comic book adaptation of the first film.

The Spider-Man: Homecoming Prelude was a comic book adaptation of Captain America: Civil War, with only a couple of added scenes showing Peter Parker's perspective.

The current Thor: Ragnarok Prelude is a comic book adaptation of both Thor: The Dark World and The Incredible Hulk.

This approach has left fans disappointed, especially when you consider some of the previous tie-ins. For last year's Doctor Strange, for example, the Infinite Comic The Zealotfleshed out the character of Kaecilius better than the movie. Back in 2015, the Ant-Man tie-ins gave us a Cold-War-era mission of Hank Pym's Ant-Man, as he penetrated a hidden base in Germany that was subtly implied to be connected to Hydra.

This time round, it seems that the Black Panther Prelude will show how T'Challa became the Black Panther. If the MCU version is true to the original comics, it will be by training to defeat his predecessor — his uncle — in combat. This Prelude could cast an interesting light on the family dynamics, too, as T'Challa's greatest competition in the comics was actually his sister, Shuri. This tie-in could be very interesting indeed, and fans will be thrilled.

The Avengers: Infinity War Prelude

Sadly, we know a lot less about the Infinity War Prelude. All we've been told is this:

"Follow the Avengers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in their adventures leading up to this summer’s blockbuster event, Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War!"

It's too soon to say whether or not this is going to be original content supporting #InfinityWar, but the simple fact is that we've already seen comic book adaptations of most of the movies anyway. In light of the Black Panther Prelude, it's very possible that this will actually be new, but we'll have to wait and see. For now, though, we can at least say that 2018 will see more enjoyable tie-in comics than we've seen this year so far!

#Marvel's official prelude comics have given us a fantastic window into the wider #MCU. The last year has been disappointing, but it looks as though next year's tie-in comics will add whole new content to the MCU, and give us fresh insight into both T'Challa's family and the culture of Wakanda. Just how did T'Challa become the Black Panther in the MCU? It looks as though we're about to find out...